Biodiversity Condition Fund

CON 896

Report Year 3

October 2014

Windy Hill Rosalie Bay Catchment Trust

429 Rosalie Bay Rd

RD 1

Great Barrier Island

lovebirds@xtra.co.nz

09 4290306

Thank you for your support of the Windy Hill Rosalie Bay Catchment Trust as we continue to ecologically restore the 620HA sanctuary at Windy Hill and Rosalie

Bay, south eastern Great Barrier Island. Since this grant was approved in August 2012, integrated plant and animal pest

management has continued to become more efficient and effective with innovative programmes, three action triggered cameras funded by and Auckland Council Environmental Heritage grant have recorded a wealth of species

information, our monitoring programme continues to deliver measureable species outcomes, and we await the response from DOC to our red crowned

kakariki translocation and breed and release programme application.

Payments received to date: Payments received from the Biodiversity Fund to date related to this project.

Amount Date

1. $62,000 Oct 2012

2. $71,000 Oct 2013

3. $67,000 Oct 2014

.

Amount now requested: $ 67,000 YOU NEED TO ATTACH AN INVOICE

Outcomes to Key Objectives

1. Within the sanctuary we continue to sustain and improve the biodiversity

of this area of Great Barrier and ‘bank’ the conservation gains made since the project commenced in 1999. The biodiversity of the area is sustained by managing plant and animal pests at low densities which allows native species to

thrive, and is improved by translocating new species, as well as discovering species previously unrecorded.

Restoration, however, is not a straightforward business and progress is deeply

affected by weather events, particularly droughts, and seasonal variations. This quote from our Bird Monitoring Report January 2013 by John Ogden :

” The large fruit and nectar feeders (kaka and tui) declined markedly in 2013, despite more kaka nests

being found in the sanctuary than in previous years. Numbers of these species fell to levels not

recorded since 2008. Kereru continued a slow decline in the sanctuary, but plummeted to zero in both

control areas. Previous association analysis shows these three species tend to occur together, which

suggests some competition for possibly limited food resources when high bird densities (as in 2012)

are achieved.

A full copy of the report is attached.

Interestingly, as the summer progressed into autumn, conditions changed

markedly in terms of food availability and we saw record numbers of kereru and kaka. The kereru photographed below were part of a 50+ flock with 100 being

recorded in Rosalie Bay a few days later.

Red Crowned Kakariki Translocation– Our application to DOC for a

translocation of 8 birds to establish a breed and release programme was withdrawn mid 2014 and replaced by an application to expand the translocation to include 40 birds for hard release as well as the birds for the breed and release

programme. Birds will be sourced from Hauturu and the translocation, which is planned for between March and May 2015, will be an exciting addition to the

work of the Sanctuary. Kakariki are at critically low levels on Great Barrier and the breed and release programme, a first in the Auckland region, may well prove to be the way to arrest their decline and establish a self supporting population.

Two red crowned kakariki were recorded in the Sanctuary in late summer and these birds may add to the gene pool of the released and captive reared birds.

The aviary for the breed and release programme is complete with nesting boxes and bird perches to be added late this year funded through the Auckland Council EIF.

Robins – Over the winter we counted 7 pairs and a few single birds in the

Sanctuary, down from 8.5 pairs post translocation release in 2012. While we are pleased to still have this many birds, the pattern of loosing birds through dispersal is similar to our earlier releases. This is the key reason that we are

keen to research a different method of reintroducing species back into the Sanctuary forest. Four of our robins are still being reported on Hirakimata (Mt

Hobson) and a pair at Kaitoke.

Seabirds – The second year of Seabird surveying by Jo Sim with her dogs was carried out in December 2013. The following is a summary of what was found :

No Cooks petrels were found

3 new black petrel burrows found

1 black petrel found on surface

1 unknown burrow found to be determined

A new grey-faced petrel colony found near Smugglers Cove

New GFP burrows & chicks confirmed at first site

5 kaka nests detected by dogs at ground level in hollow puriri trees

This map indicates where seabirds have been found in the Sanctuary over 2 surveys.

The presence of an increasing variety of bird species is a testament to the efficacy of our pest management.

Lizards – these beautiful creatures have become a feature species for the

Sanctuary – of the 13 species known to occur on Great Barrier 11 have been positively identified in the Sanctuary. Arboreal monitoring in 93 different trees between February and April this year identified the following:

Species Number Percent Lizard 13 14% Weta 64 69%

Other Invertebrates 18 19% Rat 42 45%

Nothing 13 14% It is great to see so much life in the trees but disturbing to record the number of

trees with rats. This does not necessarily indicate high numbers of rats as the tunnels were out for 3 weeks at a time and a single rat may visit a number of

trees, but it does indicate how active these animals are in trees.

Arboreal light foam tracking tunnels were placed in 93 trees for 3 weeks at a time

The Sanctuary continues to manage pests to low densities as part of an integrated pest management programme with the goal of sustaining biodiversity.

Below is a summary of culled animal pests to from January 2011 to end August 2014:

Rats Mice Cats Pigs Magpies Wasps Rabbits

2011 3096 48 10 5 5 6 nests 16

2012 2844 14 33 8 0 5 nests 10

2013 2634 10 21 7 0 13 nests 15

2014 2753 13 16 7 0 37 nests 22

Total 11,327 85 80 27 5 61 nests 63

The figures indicate that with 4 months of trapping to go this will have been a big year

for rats, a huge year for wasps, and increasing number of rabbits.

Since pest management began in 1999, 44,000 rats have been trapped. Weed pests such as hakea, plectranthus, Mexican devilweed, jasmine, and

pampas continue to be systematically removed. Aristea is being removed from gardens in the Sanctuary.

2. Research – Developing innovative and adaptive management

Since the introduction of toxins to the programme in 2005 the Trust has trialed a

range of toxins mixed with trapping and measured the efficacy of the different methodologies. The goal of this programme is to find the most effective, cost effective , and socially acceptable way of managing pests at low densities with a

focus on minimising toxin use and limiting potency. The table below shows the progression of methodologies and Tracking Tunnel

indices. The Sanctuary is divided into pest management areas: LWH = Little Windy Hill, BH= Benthorn Farm, BW = Big Windy, and RB = Rosalie Bay. Contr=unmanaged control site.

Date Management TT % annual average Events

LWH BH BW RB Contr

1999- 2004

Trapping Only 39.5

2005 Trapping with 2 x 1 week pulses cholecalciferol Strikers

42.5 38

2006 Trapping with 2 x 3 week pulses cholecalciferol Strikers

15.8 49 79.2

2007 Trapping with 2 x 6 week pulses cholecalciferol Strikers

8.2 10.4 9.6 91.2 Huge storms

2008 Trapping with 2 x 6 week pulses cholecalciferol Strikers

15.2 15.2 8.4 82.5

2009 Brodifacoum 11 9.4 17.6 48.3

2010 Brodifacoum 14 7.4 9.8 8.8 76 Drought

2011 Trapping 50% & 50% 150gram Diphacenone Feb-May 2 x 20R brodifacoum perimeter track only

8.5 8 8 22 56

2012 Trapping 50% & 50% 100gram Diphacenone Feb-May 2 x 20R brodifacoum perimeter track only

15 8 16 28* 88

2013 Trapping 50% & 50% 50gram Diphacenone Feb-May 2 x 20R brodifacoum perimeter track only

6.5 5 16* 10 62 Drought

2014 Aug

2014

Trapping 50% & 50% 50gram Diphacenone Trapping 50% & 20gram Cholecalciferol

In July

2.5

15 10

20

55

* Remained in brodi thru 2012 * I month pulse brodi to bring rats down

It is clear that trapping only does not work sufficiently well to make conservation in the Sanctuary worthwhile. However, the current programme of 50:50 traps

and bait is proving to work acceptably well. The low potency multi-feed bait diphacenone has been the principal toxin to mid 2014 and has now been replaced with cholecalciferol (VitaminD3) in 20 gram bags. This means that

currently we are trialing the least toxic, most socially acceptable bait available which is, unfortunately, also extremely expensive. There is currently no

brodifacoum use in the Sanctuary and this is likely to remain so as the persistence issues with this bait creates concern for landowners. With climate and weather events, such as droughts, so affecting the rat densities, adaptive

management is essential. Traps are checked monthly with the perimeter tracks checked fortnightly to maintain optimum management on our ‘leaky’ edges.

The main method of measuring the effectiveness of these programmes is

through regular monitoring using tracking tunnels. The graph following shows

the tracking tunnel results for the Little Windy Hill pest managed area within the Sanctuary. The difference between trapping and then the addition of toxins, is

graphically illustrated with less marked variation in results and a much more consistent lower percentage with normal seasonal variances.

The autumn rise in March 2014 was from a mast year for kahikatea resulting in

abundant seed.

This research into best practice in this habitat is particularly important to the future direction of pest management and the possibility of a feral cat and rat

free Great Barrier. Work to date illustrates how ruthless and systematic the approach has to be to keep rats at low densities and to manage the ongoing

reinvasion. Since 2011, Windy Hill and Glenfern Sanctuaries have synchronized their

tracking tunnel programme. The graph below compares the tracking tunnel percentage indices between a fenced and unfenced Sanctuary area. GS = Glenfern Sanctuary, GSControl = Glenfern unmanaged control, WH = Windy Hill,

and WH Control = Windy Hill unmanaged control.

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90

100

Jun-0

4

Sep-0

4

Dec-0

4

Mar-

05

Jun-0

5

Sep-0

5

Dec-0

5

Mar-

06

Jun-0

6

Sep-0

6

Dec-0

6

Mar-

07

Jun-0

7

Sep-0

7

Dec-0

7

Mar-

08

Jun-0

8

Sep-0

8

Dec-0

8

Mar-

09

Jun-0

9

Sep-0

9

Dec-0

9

Mar-

10

Jun-1

0

Sep-1

0

Dec-1

0

Mar-

11

Jun-1

1

Sep-1

1

Dec-1

1

Mar-

12

Jun-1

2

Sep-1

2

Dec-1

2

Mar-

13

Jun-1

3

Sep-1

3

Dec-1

3

Mar-

14

Jun-1

4

Sep-1

4

Perc

en

tag

e

Date

Windy Hill Tracking Tunnels 2004-2014

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

GS

GSControl

WH

WHControl

The purple lines represent the huge numbers of rats present in the unmanaged control site at Windy Hill compared to the lower densties in red at Glenfern. In

this context these results indicate that the Windy Hill Sanctuary is managing to keep rats at remarkably low levels.

One of the difficulties with rat managment on Great Barrier is the presence of both kiore and ship rats. At both Glenfern and Windy Hill Sanctuaries it has been noted that as ship rats are kept at low levels kiore numbers rise and they appear

to be able to persist. In May and June at Windy Hill this year each animal caught was identified - 59% of rats trapped were kiore. Negotiations are underway with

Auckland University to engage a Masters Student to study the behavioral differences between the two rat types so that a better understanding of how to manage them may be gained. This has application for the entire Pacific where

these two rats co-exist.

Action Triggered Cameras - the three cameras funded by Auckland Council Environmetal Heritage fund have provided the field team with an extraordinary insight into the behaviour of the pests we are targeting and the species we are

protecting. Cameras have recorded the emergence of a grey faced petrel from its burrow, watched its progress as it grew feathers, and came out nightly to

exercise. Stations have been set up with a variety of rat lures and the responses from rats recorded (they like chocolate lure!), cats have been fimed

approaching and being caught in trap. The new GoodNature self setting trap was filmed but performed poorly – more work needed on this model for rats. Cameras have been set up on tracks to record activity which included rabbits,

pigs, cats, a pheasant, rats, and humans passing by. The recordings are being analysed and will be edited into short films which will be useful in determining

future management methods. Worm Farms for processing used Bait – between 60 to 80% of the bait deployed

in stations is returned uneaten or partly eaten as it is replaced with fresh bait. Disposing of such huge quantities of bait from 2500 stations at the local Landfill

was problematic and so it was decided to trial putting the used bait into worm farms. Auckland Council supplied a bin, as did the Trust, but these were quickly filled so the field team built additional large worm farms using recycled pallets.

The first samples of worm casting from the brodifacoum bait ( returned from the Council Biosecurity programme) and diphacenone have recently been sent for

analysis to see if detectable levels of the toxin are present.

3. Creating and sustaining conservation based employment.

Currently, five people are employed in the field team that undertakes pest management, the monitoring programme, threatened species habitat protection, and maintenance of the Sanctuary’s over 80km of trapping routes. Another local

person is employed as a part time administrator. The Sanctuary is managed by a volunteer and there are now two field volunteers. The Trust also employs a part

time contractor to undertake the Auckland Council bio-security programme on Great Barrier. The wages from the field team make a significant contribution to the economy of

the island with some 60% of the grants received by the Trust being paid out in wages. Since 1999 when pest management commenced over $1.4M has been

paid in wages. The field team manager has now been employed for 12 years, the

bio-security contractor for 15, our senior field worker for 9 years and our youth field worker for 2 years. Since 2010 the Trust has worked with the local social

worker to target unemployed youth to join the team as there are few opportunities for young unskilled youth to gain training and work experience.

The social well being of the team is profound as they experience sustained employment, working within a team, and making a valuable contribution to the biodiversity of the area. They have developed sufficient skills to be considered

conservation professionals. The Trust highly appreciates the funding from the Biodiversity Condition Fund as

this sustains the operational costs of our field manager and senior field worker. This is key to the success of this Sanctuary.

4. Maintaining and expanding a comprehensive monitoring

programme The monitoring programme involves a range of methods by which we measure the programme efficacy and species response to lowered pest densities. The

programme has continued to evolve and expand over time and includes the following:

Birds – 3 minute counts once a year and 5 minute counts every decade Lizards – Onduline motels and lizard boxes - twice yearly

- 600 ACO’s (Foam covers) and 600 Onduline stacks once yearly (with Ecogecko- a Landcare Research project)

- D-Minnow traps – throughout summer - Foam refugia/tracking tunnel – throughout summer - Arboreal tracking tunnels – over summer

Rats – tracking tunnels 5 times a year Weta – ‘motels’ – twice yearly

Invertebrates – under Onduline stacks – twice yearly Seedlings – in plots – twice yearly Freshwater Streams – twice yearly

Bats – bat detection boxes – in 2012 Seabirds – 6 acoustic recording devices – Dec 12 – Dec 13

Morepork – 4 acoustic recording devices – current Pimelea Tomentosa (threatened plant)– 2006-2012 - biannually

The Trust is planning to test the sediment in three streams in the Sanctuary catchments for residual rodenticide. After such a long period of toxin use it is

timely to ensure that this is not impacting on freshwater stream quality. Some Monitoring Outcomes

Birds – Please find attached the bird monitoring report from December 2013.

Lizards – A range of methods are used to with monitor both geckos and skinks,

ground dwelling, and arboreal species. In 2006, lizards were identified as a key indicator species in relation to rat densities. Not a single lizard was monitored in the first year of monitoring in our unmanaged control site with lizards present in

30% of Onduline stacks from the first month within the Sanctuary. The graph below illustrates how this percentage has grown over time. Of note is the dip in

lizard numbers after the summer 2010 and 2013 droughts. This dip is replicated

in our monitoring of weta and seedlings illustrating the impact of weather events on species.

Lizard occupancy has generally risen since 2008 with a drop after the droughts in

2010

and 2013.

Rats - Tracking Tunnel monitoring is carried out five times a year. The table of

tracking tunnel percentages from January 2013 to date by pest managed area is below. Rat densities rose through the autumn (April 2014) commensurate with the masting of kahikatea. Rat densities throughout NZ were high at this time.

LWH BH

Bush BH

Paddock Big Windy Rosalie

Bay Control unmanaged

Jan 13 5 0 5 30 10 50

Apr 13 15 0 10 10 20 70

Jul 13 5 10 0 30 10 60

Sept 13 5 15 5 0 0 85

Nov 13 2.5 0 10 0 10 45

Jan 14 5 10 0 10 10 45

Apr 14 15 15 10 30 30 75 Jul 14 2.5 15 5 10 20 55 Sept 14 10 0 5 20 10 50

Despite intensive and systematic management, rats densities continue to fluctuate – they are driven by climate, weather events, and seasons that offer more food availability. Sanctuary indexes are still well below unmanaged Control densities.

Pimelea Tomentosa – this category C threatened plant has been monitored

biannually since 2006. Following the removal of feral goats in 2004 the plant, which was identified by Ewen Cameron the botanist form Auckland Museum,

started to die out because it was shaded out by recovering vegetation. Over thirty plants were fenced to prevent browsing by rabbits, vegetation kept clear

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

10

Ma

y-0

6

No

v-0

6

Ma

y-0

7

No

v-0

7

Ma

y-0

8

No

v-0

8

Ma

y-0

9

No

v-0

9

Ma

y-1

0

No

v-1

0

Ma

y-1

1

No

v-1

1

Ma

y-1

2

No

v-1

2

Ma

y-1

3

No

v-1

3

Ma

y-1

4

# o

f M

ote

ls o

cc

up

ied

Date

WH Lizard Onduline Motel Occupancy 2006-2014

of them, and kept under surveillance. As the Sanctuary area extended from 2006 a much larger number of plants were discovered in more open ground and

this meant we could discontinue the intense monitoring and protection Many hundreds of pimelea have been counted making this the largest record of this

species in the Auckland region.

Pimelea Tomentosa - Adult plant and seedlings.

A review of all monitoring outcomes is currently being undertaken by Prof John Ogden and a report on the trends and patterns that have emerged will be

completed in early 2015. Our monitoring programme continues to develop along with our capacity.

3. Community Involvement

The community continues to have an interest in our activities and progress. Over 400 people receive our twice yearly newsletter. Articles are published from time to time in the local newspaper and in the GB I Environmental News. This last

year has seen a steady number of people asking the Trust for assistance and to purchase equipment. The Trust Manager has also helped a number of applicants

with funding applications and regularly takes visitors through the Sanctuary. Over 100 presentations have been made on the works of the Sanctuary to organizations, conferences, and to individual visitor. The Trust is active in

promoting the benefits of pest management and the vision of a rat and feral cat free Great Barrier though articles and presentations. The Trust manager also

mentors other fledgling projects. Both Glenfern Sanctuary and Windy Hill work closely, and now share pest management methodology allowing a better opportunity to follow the different outcomes of fenced and unfenced sanctuaries.

A Sanctuary website is currently under construction which will increase the range of awareness and interest in the project.

Grant Funding Please find attached details of the total Con 896 grant expenditure to date .

Other contributions:

Contribution (dollars / hours): Source of contribution:

21hrs/week/ 45 week/yr =

$15,120 per annum

25hrs/week/45wks/yr

=$45,000/annum

$10,000 per annum in kind

$15,000

$12,00

$17352

$1200 per annum

$2000 per annum

$3500 gifted value

$2000 - 20 hunts@$100/day in

kind

2 Field Volunteers

Voluntary Trust management

Trustees input

ASB Community Trust

Auckland City Heritage

Donations & Landowners

Donated Telecom expenses

Freight sponsorship

Mapping

Voluntary Pig Hunter

The Trust also is currently supported by the ASB Community Trust, Lotteries

Environment, Auckland Council Environmental Heritage and EIF funds, and WWF Habitat Protection Fund.

Thank you for your continued support – the Trust is hugely appreciative.

Judy Gilbert

Trust Manager